Take a Hike!

Over a year ago, I was given a backpack and I've been dying to use it ever since! Well, this Memorial Day weekend I was finally able to put it to use!  I packed my pack to go on a quick overnight camping and hiking trip with my dad!

Ready to head off into the woods!

On Sunday afternoon, I met my Dad in Clemson and together we drove up to the Walhalla Fish Hatchery in Mountain Rest, SC.  From there, we took the East Fork (or Fish Hatchery) Trail to the Chattooga River.  It's a fairly easy 2.5 mile route with lots of beautiful sights, including the Fish Hatchery Falls! After we got to the Chattooga, we took a few minutes to watch the trout jumping in the rapids, and then we set up camp for the night! The entire walk in Dad gave me a speech about how the SC bear population is the largest its ever been, so needless to say we "bear-trapped" our food for the evening once we were done. But oh my- our dinner! We had chicken marinaded in sesame ginger sauce with carrots and broccoli over brown rice!  We wrapped everything in tin foil and cooked it over the open fire! It was so delicious!  We ended our evening sitting by the fire, listening to the river and enjoying the glow of the full moon!

Sleep wasn't exactly our friend that night. My yoga mat did nothing against the ground and I have a mummy sleeping bag. Mummy bags are great for the cold (which it definitely was), but are terrible options for people toss and turn and like to curl up in their sleeps (me).  And poor dad- he forgot his sleeping bag! Needless to say, neither one of us got much sleep that night. 

Ellicott's Rock

We started Monday morning off with grits over the campfire and then an early morning hike up to Ellicott's Rock. Ellicott's Rock is a giant rock placed in the middle of the river that was used by a surveyor to mark the boundary between Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. It was about a 3.4 mile round trip.  We did this hike without packs and it felt wonderful! Both of us were not looking forward to putting our packs back on to hike out later on in the day!

After the early morning hike, we came back and broke camp and then headed back out to the East Fork Trail. Once we got back to the car and dropped off our packs (and stretched our backs out), we headed over to the Fish Hatchery to take a look around! I had never been before, although Dad had so he had a good time explaining to me about the different types of trouts and how the hatchery worked. 

This was a great introduction to backpacking! I loved spending time with my dad, hiking through such a gorgeous place, and learning about the different plant life (Dad used to be a Forester- every trip into the woods is an education)! Even though it was a quick trip- over 8 miles in less than 21 hours- it was still a blast! I can't wait to do this again!

 The Fish Hatchery Falls (kinda hard to see)

 The Chattooga (and our view from our campsite)

the campsite

Dad showing off how to use a headlamp

 Our "Bear-Trapped" Food

Cooking Dinner over the fire

The result- yum!

The Two Trails we hiked!

Side Note- Mad props to Burt's Bees Herbal Insect Repellent. That stuff worked wonderfully and didn't smell terrible!

I Work Hard for the Money

      As of last week, I am officially a working girl. Last week was my first week at my new job and it was great!  I loved trying to figure out all the new words and programs I'll be using and getting to know my new coworkers better!

      Monday felt like a long day because it was mostly paperwork and reading document after document trying to familiarize myself with words and phrases that I would be using/needing for my job.  I was supposed to do some online training but the system was down so that got pushed back a few days. Overall, it was still a good day as I got a feel for the office and my new computer!

     Tuesday picked up a lot more! I shadowed one of my coworkers and dove right into the work! I'm very much a hands-on learner so this was awesome for me! Before I knew it, it was 2 o'clock and we figured we should probably stop for lunch then!

    Wednesday and Thursday were just like Tuesday- busy! I enjoy this new job because the day really does fly by and I am constantly doing work!  It's also great because when I need to buckle down and do a task, I can plug in my headphones, turn on itunes, and get down to business!  Thursday evening I finished all of my training and received my administrator credentials/access for one of the programs we use for work! Yay!

     Before I knew it, it was Friday evening and my first week of work was done! I had an awesome week and my coworkers thought so too! They gave me a checklist of things to get done for the week and I got it all done and more! This week they're going to give me a bit more responsibility and let me "dip my toes in the water" with being responsible for one our classes! As I go along, I'll get more and more classes until I'm completely responsible for all of our North America classes! Whoo!

     The one downfall to this new job is that my office could be used as a training facility for people going to Antartica! It's soo cold! I keep saying I'm going to bring a blanket. I'm pretty sure they think I'm kidding, but you just wait- I don't like to be cold! But, as long as I can drink Diet Dr. Pepper and listen to music while I work, I think I can suck it up and deal with it!

     All joking aside, I love my new job! I'm really excited for what's in store for me and what the future holds. I'm so thankful to all the people that prayed I would find a job and that it would be good for me. God has blessed me immensely this year and I am so excited to use this new job for His glory!